Road building apparatus



Nov. 21, 1933- A. F. REILAND ROAD BUILDING APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WerfERez'Zam; 77m r 7 1933- A. F. REILAND ROAD BUILDING APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1929 2 SheetsSheet 2 Inve "Jar.- rfllkem Patented Nov. 21, 1933 ieiazcs UNITED STATES PATENT; OF C Application June 12,1929. Serial No. 370,381

8 Claims. (01.. 37108) The present invention relates broadly j to a road building apparatus, More specifically the invention relates to a subgrader, designed and constructed to prepare a road bed before laying concrete pavement.

Machines of the type above described are generally designed to perform at least two operations. One operation known as scarifying and the other operation is a scraping operation. Such machines are therefore generally provided with a 'scarifier and a scraper blade. I While in the process of preparing road beds it is frequently found that the ground is of such a nature that the scarifying operation is not necessary and the scraping operation alone is sufficient to prepare the road bed for the laying of. concrete,-it is nevertheless desirable to provide, every machine of this type with a scarifier .well as with a scraper blade. The present invention. is directed to a machine of this type which embodies a scarifier and a scraper blade and means for controlling the operation of the same. v

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an adjustable controlling'means for presetting the depth to which the scraper blade may operate. Another object of the invention is to provide a construction whereby the scarifier and scraper blade may be raised and lowered in unison. Another object of the invention is 'to provide a constructionwherebythe scarifier or scraper blade may be placed in operative posie.

tion at will.

In machines of the type described known hitherto motive power in the form of a. tractor or the like is usually attached to the machine by means of cables. In this old type of construction' it was necessary to move the subgrader by man power when it became necessary-to hack the entire apparatus up for a substantial distance. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a rigid draw bar'between the subgrader and the tractor whereby the appa ratus may be moved forward or backward without any readjustment ofithe parts, without the insertion or utilization of any external elements, and without the use :of man power. Another object of the invention is to construct the draw bar and the means for attachingthe same to the tractor in such a manner as to provide for universal relative movement of the tractor and the subgrader. a

The drawings submitted herewith are illustrative of one specific embodiment of the present invention. 3

In the drawings:

.tion of the scraper blade;

Figure 1 is a rear view of the machine in operation.

Figure 2 is an end view of the machine showing the scraper blade in operative position.

;Figure 31s a similar side view of the machine with the scraper blade in its raised-and inoperative position. V p I Figure 4 is a similar side view of the. apparatus with the scarifier in its operative position and the blade inits inoperative position.

Figure 5 is a planview ofthe drawbar and the related elements of the subgrader and the tractor. 1 V

Figure 6 is a side view of the same elements. Figure 7 is a side view of a modified construc- Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates the longitudinal forms placed on the ground'which-are designed to receive the concrete and which also indicate the height to which the concrete isto be poured. r

The subgrader comprises four wheels 11 which travel on the formslO and are guided thereby.

The frame of the subgrader comprises two transthat the frame structure of the subgrader may be modified in any manner desired, such as by substituting castings suitably designed to serve the same function as'elements l2 and 13.

' As shown in the drawings thexangle irons 13 are bolted to the I-beams 12.

Each of the I I-beams l2 ismprovided with a bracket 14 near the end thereof for supporting a shaft 15; the shaft being supported at the other end thereof by'means of the journal box to support the controlling elements ofthe' appa- ,The forward I-beam 12 is provided with a pair of hinges 20 which support the carriers E.

which may be rotated or oscillated about the hinges 20. The pair of carriers Fhave attached to their lower ends the transversely disposed scraper blade E vwhich as shown in the drawings is curved in cross section and extends the entire width of the apparatus. The carriers Fare curved as may be seen in the side views and means 1 are provided for raising or lowering the scraper blade E together with the carriers F about the hinges 20.

The apparatus for raising and lowering the blade E comprises a pair of rods D which are pivotally attached to the blade E at 21. A bellcrank lever 22 which is pivotally mounted at 23 has its free end pivotally attached to the rod D at a point 24. The arm 25 of the lever 22 is made in the form of a gear sector which is operable by means of the worm gear 26 and the hand wheel 2'7.

The apparatus described in the preceding paragraph is preferably provided in duplicate, the hand wheels 27 being so disposed that the operator may operate both simultaneously so as to raise or lower the scraper blade E.

In order to provide for pre-setting the depth to which the scraper blade may operate, a ver tical rod A is pivotally mounted on the bladeE at the point 28, the upper end thereof passing through an opening 29 in the table 19. The upper end of the rod A is threaded and an adjustable nut C having a downwardly sloping face 30 and a handle 31 is rotatably mounted on the rod A so as to limit the downward movement of the rod. The opening 29 in the table 19 is preferably also suitably shaped so as to cooperate with the face 30 of the nut C to provide for the accurate seating of the nut C. A lock nut B is also provided for locking the adjustable nut C in position. This adjustment device comprising the elements A, B, and C is preferably provided in duplicate.

It will be seen that by the aid of the apparatus thus far described the scraper blade E may be raised or lowered by the rotation of the hand wheels 27. Before grading is begun the adjusting nut C is set to a predetermined position and is locked in position by the loclrng nut B. The scraping operation may then be proceeded with in any number of steps without any further attention to the depth of the cut.

In order to provide for the ready manipulation of the scarifier and in order to obviate the duplication of controller apparatus, the scarifier as sembly J is hingedly mounted on the carriers F so that the sccarifier may be raised and lowered by means of the same apparatus that controls the raising and lowering of the scraper blade E. Means are also provided for holding the scarifier apparatus in raised position while the scraper blade is in operation. These means comprise a shaft 1-1 rotatable by means of the hand wheel G, a cable K attached to the shaft H at one end thereof and attached tothe scraper assembly J at the other end thereof. One of the cross members 18 also carries a slidable dog 32 which may be moved into engagement with one of the spolres of the hand wheel G and thereby hold the wheel against rotation by the weight of the scarifier assembly J.

When the scraper blade E is in operation the scarifier J is held in a position shown in'Fig. 2.

When it becomes desirable to operate the scarifier the blade E is raised by means of the hand wheels 27 and the dog 32 is retracted from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 4. The weight of the scarifier assembly J then causes the same to drop and assume the position shown in Fig. 4. If it is found that in this position the scarifier J does not quite reach the ground or fails to make a deep enough out the same may be lowered by means of the hand wheels 27.

In its operative position as shown in Fig. 4 the along and dragged along by the scraper.

scarifier assembly J is backed up directly against the forward face of the scraper blade E. The scraper blade E therefore serves as a further and additional strengthening element for the scarifier assembly and as a result of this engagement the scarifier assembly may be of much lighter construction than that used hitherto.

Referring to Figure 5, the reference character 12 shows the front transverse member of the grader and is intended toindicate the relative position of the grader and the manner of its attachment to the draw bar. The reference character 35 shows a tractor for moving the grader in the process of operation. The tractor may have associated therewith a roller which rolls the ground at the same time that the scarifying or scraping is performed. The draw bar D is preferably Y-shaped, the base of ti e Y being in the form of a fork 36 and housing a pair of grooved rollers B. The two legs of the Y are pivotally attached to the grader by means of the hinges 37 which are preferably afiixed to the lower face of the member 12. The tractor 35 is provided with a rearwardly extending U -shaped bar 38, the base of the bar being disposed between the rollers B. The diameter of the bar is preferably such as. to provide a substantial amount of clearance between the bar and the adjacent rollers B. By means of this organization the grader may be moved forward or backward by means of the tractor and a universal engagement is provided between the draw bar B and the tractor whereby the grader will remain on its tracks while the tractor may be deflected at an angle to the direction of movement of the grader.

By means of the apparatus described in the preceding paragraph and shown in Figure 5, the necessity of following a straight course is obviated. It becomes unnecessary to have an expe rienced and skilled man to operate the tractor for the reason that even when the tractor does not follow a straight course substantially no side thrust is transmittedto the grader. Moreover, the tractor frequently operates a roller atthe same time that it operaes a grader. 7 conditions it frequently becomes necessary for the rolls to move from one side of the road to the other. In the old practice this could not be done without disconnecting the tractor from the grader. By means of the device shown in Figure 5 the grader can be made to operate irrespective of the direction of movement of the tractor or the roller associated therewith. This is illustrated in the dotted line position shown in Figure 5. Any side thrust on the grader is transmitted to the form which is likely to displace it.

In the operation of the machine thus far described, the dirt piles up in front of the scraper blade during the scraping operation and is rolled Under such conditions it becomes necessary to stop the operation of the scraper at intervals in order to permit for the removal of the dirt that has accumulated due to the scraper operation. Under such conditions it is sometimes desirable to back the grader so as to permit laborers to shovel the dirt away or if desired the scraper blade may be raised and the grader moved over and away from the pile of dirt. In order to obviate this intermittent cessation of operation the blade shown in Fig. '7 is provided with a hinged gate 40 which may be held in its closed position by means of the latch 41, or when desired the latch may be released and the gate will then be forced open by the dirt accumulated in front of the blade. Un- Z Under these 1 der these conditions the dirt will pass through the open gate and drop behind thescraper. The intermittent cessation of operation is therefore obviated for the reason that the dirt that is dropped behind the scraper may be removed by laborers, While the grader proceeds in its operation. The angle iron 41 which is attached to the rear face of the blade E and serves as a stiffener for said blade also serves as a deflector for the dirt that passes through the open gate 40.

While the form of blade shown in Fig. 7 which is provided with a gate has the great advantage of facilitating the removal of the dirt without interfering with the operation of the grader, the present apparatus also includes a conveyor 42 driven by the front wheels of the grader, for carrying away the dirt.

While it is desirable to have the conveyor belt 42 operated by the front wheels for the reason that the front wheels always remain on the tracks, it is obvious that the belt may be operated and driven by any one or all four wheels. The belt is also so disposed that it moves the dirt laterally to the wayside.

Having described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited by the specific disclosure contained herein, the scope of my invention being apparent from the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. A road building apparatus comprising a wheeled truck, a grader, a scarifier, and a common carrying element for said grader and scarifier mounted on said truck, said scarifier abutting the grader inoperative position and said grader serving as a thrust bearer for said scarifier when the latter is in operation.

2. A road building apparatus comprising a wheeled truck, a grader, a scarifier, and a common carrying element for said grader and scarifier mounted on said truck, said elements being so related that the scarifier bears against the front of the grader when they scarifier is in operation.

3. A road building apparatus comprising a wheeled truck, adapted to travel on form rails, a

grader pivotally carried by said truck, means for 7 raising and lowering said grader, and means for presetting the operative depth of said grader,

4. A road building apparatus comprising'a wheeled truck, adapted to travel on form rails, a grader pivotally mounted on said truck, means for raising and lowering said grader, and means independent of said last mentioned means for presetting the operative depth of said grader, thereby predetermining the thickness of concrete pavement.

5. A road building apparatus comprising a wheeled truck, a grader pivotally carried by said truck, means for raising and lowering said grader, a table on said truck, and adjustable means engageable with said table for limiting the operative depth of said grader.

6. A road building apparatus comprising a wheeled truck, a grader pivotally carried by said truck, a table on said truck, means to raise and lower said grader, and a rod pivotally mounted on said grader, passing through an opening in said table and having an adjustable stop for engaging the table to limit the downward movement depth until the'limit set by the presettingmeansis reached, thereby predete'rminingthe thickness of concrete pavement. 1 p

8. In a machine for subgrading between forms preparatory to casting concrete paving slabs, a frame-work having traction means .to ride on said forms, a scraping means vertically movable in connection with said frame-work to active and inactive positions, pivoted lever arms for lowering and raising said scraping means, suspension links between the respective ends of said scraping means and said respective lever arms, means for independently actuating said lever arms, stop rods respectively connected with said scraping means adjacent to its respective. ends, said stop rods being vertically movable in connection with said frame-work, and stop nuts adjustable on the free ends of said stop-rods whereby engagement thereof with said framework selectively limits the'active position level of said scraping means.

ALBERT F. REILAND. 

